The OSHA and ABSA Alliance focuses on promoting healthy and safe workplaces. The
organizations use their collective expertise both to enhance workplace health
and safety and to assist employers, including small businesses, in developing a
preventive focus for biological safety issues facing the American workplace.

Implementation Team Members

OSHA:

Jeff Lodwick
Atkinson Longmire
Sandra Khan
Dionne Williams

Directorate of Technical Support
and Emergency Management (DTSEM)
DTSEM
Office of Outreach Services and Alliances
Directorate of Enforcement Programs

ABSA:

Penny Holeman
Rich Rebar
Ed Styger

Johnson & Johnson
GlaxoSmithKline
Executive Director, ABSA

Evaluation Period

September 23, 2008 – September 22, 2009

Implementation Team Meetings

December 9, 2008 Implementation Team Meeting

May 15, 2009 Implementation Team Meeting

August 10, 2009 Work-group Meeting

September 19, 2009 Work-group Meeting

In addition to these formal meetings, the Alliance coordinators from both
groups maintained regular contact throughout the reporting period to monitor the
Alliance's progress and results.

Results

Events and Products

Outreach and Communication Goals

Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the
recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to provide expertise in
developing ways of communicating such information (e.g. print and electronic
media, electronic assistance tools and OSHA's and ABSA's Web sites) to employers
and employees in the industry.

Products

ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web Page

ABSA continually updates the ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page. The page includes
links to the OSHA and ABSA Alliance agreement, renewal agreements and related
documents on the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site. During
the reporting period, links to the following ABSA-developed fact sheets created
through OSHA and ABSA Alliance were added to the page:

Principles of Biosafety

BioSafety Levels

elect Agent Diseases

Zoonotic Diseases

For more information on the number of visits to the ABSA and OSHA
Alliance-related Web page, please see the Alliance Program Reach Table.

OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web Page

OSHA is continuing to update the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page posted on the
Agency Web site. The page includes information on Alliance events, milestones
and successes, and links to the OSHA and ABSA agreement, news releases, and to
the ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the ABSA Web site. During the reporting
period, links to the following ABSA-developed fact sheets created through OSHA
and ABSA Alliance were added to the page:

Principles of Biosafety

BioSafety Levels

Select Agent Diseases

Zoonotic Diseases

For more information on the number of visits to the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web
page, please see the Alliance Program Reach Table.

OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages

ABSA's Technical Review Committee members serve on the editorial boards of the
following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages:

Anthrax

Avian Flu

Biological Agents

Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention

Botulism

Foodborne Disease

Hantavirus

Hazardous Waste

Indoor Air Quality

Ionizing Radiation

Legionnaires' Disease

Mold and Fungi

Plague

Ricin

Smallpox

Tularemia

Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers

Please see Appendix A for a list of the ABSA Technical Review Committee members.

OSHA's Hospital eTool

As part of the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, the ABSA Technical Review Committee
members are participating on the Agency update of its Hospital eTool. The
Committee submitted an extensive review of a number of the tool's modules
including bloodborne pathogens, laboratory, and healthcare wide hazards.

Please see Appendix A for a list of the ABSA reviewers.

Speak, exhibit or appear at OSHA's or ABSA's conferences, local meetings, or
other events such as ABSA's Annual Conference.

ABSA and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported the 2008
Drug-Free Work Week. Sponsored annually by the U.S. Department of Labor's
Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace Program, the Week
focused on educating employers, employees and the public about the importance of
being drug-free as an essential component of a safe and healthful workplace.

2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 3-9, 2009

ABSA and more than 57 other Alliance Program participants supported 2009 NAOSH
Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an
Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering,
the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the
workplace. The theme for 2009 NAOSH Week was "Safety Means Always Coming Home."
To help support the week ABSA distributed information about 2009 NAOSH Week to
its membership and posted a link on the ABSA Web site to the NAOSH Week Web
site.

Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health
professionals regarding ABSA's best practices or effective approaches and
publicize results through outreach by ABSA and through OSHA or ABSA developed
materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other
applicable forum).

Through the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, ABSA is developing and OSHA is reviewing the
"General Microbiology" fact sheet. The fact sheet is expected to be finalized in
2010. After the fact sheet is finalized it will be posted on the ABSA and OSHA
Alliance-related Web page on the ABSA Web site and linked to from the OSHA and
ABSA Alliance Web page and the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products
page on the OSHA Web site.

Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goal

Convene or participate in forums, round table discussions, or stakeholder
meetings on Biosafety issues to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace
or to provide input on safety and health issues.

During the reporting period the OSHA and ABSA implementation Team did not
address this Alliance goal.

Executive Summary

Because of the success of the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, the organizations renewed
the Alliance on March 3, 2009. The Implementation Team worked together to
enhance workplace health and safety and to assist employers, including small
businesses, in developing a preventive focus for biological safety issues facing
the American workplace. For example:

The ABSA Technical Review Committee members continue to serve on the editorial
boards of OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages, including Hazardous Waste,
Legionnaires Disease, Mold and Fungi, and Tularemia and the OSHA Hospital eTool.

The OSHA and ABSA Alliance maintained several informational resources about
the Alliance, biological hazards, and other safety and health materials. The
OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site features the Alliance
agreement, renewal agreements, related documents, and milestones and successes;
the ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the ABSA Web site includes
resources for addressing biological hazards, including links to the OSHA and
ABSA Alliance Web page, OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages, and OSHA
compliance assistance materials.

ABSA supported and promoted the 2008 Drug-Free Work Week and the 2009 NAOSH
Week by adding information about the Weeks on the ABSA Web site.

Finally, through the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, ABSA developed the "General
Microbiology" fact sheet. It is anticipated this will be finalized in early
2010.

In the upcoming year, OSHA and ABSA will renew the Alliance agreement and
continue to promote awareness of the Program and use their collective expertise
to enhance workplace health and safety and to assist employers, including small
businesses, in developing a preventive focus for biological safety issues facing
the American workplace. For example:

ABSA's Technical Review Committee members will continue to serve on the
editorial boards for the OSHA Hospital eTool and for 17 OSHA Safety and Health
Topics pages, including Avian Flu, Botulism, and Hantavirus. In addition they
will continue to provide their expertise to OSHA by providing feedback on
draft biological safety and health documents developed by OSHA, as requested.

OSHA and ABSA Alliance Implementation Team members are committed to
maintaining and updating the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web
site and the ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the ABSA Web site.

ABSA will support and promote the 2009 Drug-Free Work Week and the 2010
North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week.
Finally, during 2010 OSHA and ABSA will finalize the "General Microbiology"
fact sheet and Biohazard fact sheets, and link to them form the OSHA and ABSA
Alliance Web page and on the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products
Web page on the Agency Web site.
Report prepared by: Sandra Khan, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach
Services and Alliances, October 16, 2009.